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1925 |
Club History < > |
2007 |
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Members
of Pembroke Dock Bowling Club |
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Councillor Manning giving the
Mayor the first Jack thrown on the Park Pembroke Dock. General Meyrick
with white hair behind the Mayor. |
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The opening of the Memorial Park on Saturday the 2nd May 1925 was an impressive ceremony, crowds to the total of several thousand, assembled to pay homage to the gallant memory of the fallen heroes of Pembroke Dock who gave their lives in the Great War of 1914 - 1918. It is a coincidence that Gwyther Street, the adjacent thoroughfare leading to the park, contained the homes of the largest number of men who fell in the war. Lady Meyrick wife of General Sir F.C. Meyrick opened the Memorial Park. The Mayor presented Lady Meyrick with a silver key, suitably inscribed as a memento of the occasion. Lady Meyrick then unlocked the gates, and declared the park open. The huge throng then entered the park and proceeded to the bowling green, where his worship the Mayor, Councillor W.G. Lloyd, was presented with a Silver Jack by Councillor G.E. Manning, after which the Mayor formally opened the bowling green. During the afternoon an opening match was played between the Tenby Bowling Club and Pembroke Dock Bowling Club. The result was a win for the Pembroke Dock Bowling team by 25 shots. The first cup to be presented to Pembroke Dock Bowling Club was the silver cup known as the 'Johnson Cup'. The cup cost 15 guineas in 1925 and was won by W. Carr of Laws Street. This cup was followed by the Tallet Cup which was renamed the Sloggett Cup after H. Sloggett won the Tallett Cup outright. Bowls was starting to become a very popular sport back in the early twenties with a character by the name of 'Trundler' writing every week in the 'West Wales Guardian' about the games and times of Pembroke Dock Bowling Club. Eventually his mantel was taken over by a writer with the name of 'Scrutator' in the thirties. Everyone appeared to wear the full regalia at each and every game. Blazers never came off with some wearing panama hats, some wearing caps, homburgs and ordinary straws, it must have looked a pretty sight. Top During the thirties a match used to take place once a year called 'The Battle of the Roses'. It was in aid of the Victoria Nurses Home in Park Street. Many hundreds of pounds was raised at these games which was often watched by hundreds of people, at one game 350 tea tickets were printed and sold for one shilling (5 new pence) each. In 1936 the club was known as 'The Pembroke Dock Bowling Association'. From 1937 onwards each game was to be played to 21 points not 27 points as in previous years. The annual subscription was two shillings (10 new pence). In the late thirties the club often held dances which attracted 300 to 400 people. The dances being held in the old Temperance Hall with a whist drive commencing first, imagine that happening today! The club closed during the war years from September 1940 until July 3rd 1944. The name of Pembroke Dock Bowling Association was changed to Pembroke Dock Bowling Club. Three other cups were presented to the club in this year; they were the Alfred Phillips, J.E. James and the Devonald Cups. It was decided in 1946 to hold an open week with two cups to be in contention, namely the Alfred Phillips Bowl and the Sudbury Bowl. The pavilion was painted and cost the staggering price of three pounds! The club won the County Shield in 1949 During the fifties jumble sales were held plus whist drives to build up the funds. A.K. Williams and J.E. James were involved in playing against the Australians at Aberystwyth, while A.K. Williams was often featured in the Welsh trials. The first club annual dinners were introduced to which the Mayor was often invited. The annual 'Battle of the Roses' tournament was once again held during coronation week in 1953. The club won the County Shield in 1954. In 1960 the green was in such a poor state that all county matches were cancelled but the club still managed to win the County Shield. In the middle 60's the club stated that they would wear all white at County Shield matches. The club once again lifted the County Shield in 1966. A rota of members was made for the first time for travelling to away games in 1969; the motor car was just coming into prominence. Top At the beginning of the seventies the club advertised in the local newspapers appealing for new members, this did manage to bring in a few new members. The green was vandalized and meetings were held with the council due to the poor condition of the green. A new club badge was designed with the use of the Pembroke Borough Crest at the start of 1980 with the ladies also forming the first ever ladies rink to represent Pembroke Dock Bowling Club. The club held its first New Year's eve dance in 1985 with the members looking at building a new pavilion. The Silver Jack was returned to Pembroke Dock Bowling Club by Mrs Beryl Hall in 1985, her grandfather was W.G. Lloyd who first rolled the Silver Jack on the opening of the green in 1925. The ladies won the Pembrokeshire Ladies title in 1986 and obtained the same voting rights as the men, and the men after 20 years managed to win the County League Championship. In the late eighties the second men's team was formed called 'Cleddau' and the first official club tour was undertaken visiting Bournemouth. SPDC proposed that the club would have to take over the running of the green. At the start of 1990 the new pavilion was opened for business, after sterling work by many club members. The chairman stated that the clubs affairs had changed dramatically with the financial turnover going from hundreds of pounds to thousands with the club becoming a business affair. During the nineties the club has flourished with the introduction of another ladies team, Pembroke Dock 'Park Ladies' and men's team, Pembroke Dock 'B' with Cleddau being renamed Pembroke Dock 'A'. Membership rose to well over 100 with Gareth Williams and his brother Ian Williams, both obtaining Welsh honours and playing for Wales. The start of the new millennium has seen the club go from strength to strength. The Pembroke Dock Ladies winning the league championship for the years 2000, 2001 and the introduction of a youth scheme. The youngsters undergo training on Sunday mornings with the co-operation of the local schools and club coaches. Ken Edwards Pembroke Dock Bowling Club
History is always on going. More to be added soon |
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